Omaha daily bee., 1887-06-23
THE NEW WYOMING OIL FIELD
Organization Of Company to Operate
Promising Petroleum Wells.
THEFIRsT EXPLORERS
Some Splendid Specimens ofthe Crude
From Poison Spider Bnsin-The
Decline In Eastern
Production.

A few bottles Of crude or refined pc
troleum more or less do not seem Of much
Importance; yet those received yestor-
day, and now to be seen at the offices of
Barker T. Burr and Wendell Benson,
at 1900 and 1923 Farnam street, have
greater significance than appears at
first. They are in fact the product of
the new Wyoming oil field, and the re.
suit of an alaysis and distillation of
Wyoming crude petroleum. 1t may not
be generally known, but it is neverthe.
less true, that the oil refiners and dealers
OF the east, have for some time been ser.
iously alarmed concerning the future
upply of the crude product. Pennsyl.
vania and New York instead of pouring
out from 100000 to 10000 barrels
per day, are taxing their utmost
resources to secure $1,000 barrels per day.
The consumption of the article has
grown, however, to over 10000 barrels
is easily understood. In view of these
facts and the additional fact that the
stock on hand is beng gradually absorbed
by the excess OF consumption over pro.
duction, the discovery OF anew field is OF
the greatest Importance. That great
quantities of oil have long been known
to exist in Wyoming is true; yet the oil
lubricating oil, and not the oil from
which kerosene or coal oil, !" rs it is i'm
properly called, is derived. The petro.
leum of New York and Pennsylvania is
very different and very much more valua-
BILE than simple lubricating oil.
because the market for the latter
IS limited, while the demand for the
former is now far beyond the supply, ex-
cept as stocks intervene, and the values
discovery lies in the fact that the petro.
leum from the Poison Spider oil basin in
Carbon county, Wyo., is light oil, tina,
is, an oil of from 400 to 47o gravity
Baumi and contains large per cent OF
kerosene, as is shown by the samples re-
ferred to. The crude was collected at
the oil mountain spring BY a gentleman
him sent east for ana alysis, with the graft
flying result following. There are five
samples, the first being quality of gas
oline as clear as water, and of quail.
ity equally good with any of the
same specific gravity. The sample of
kerosene is It's degrees fire test, and is
clear water white and odOrless. The next
sample is of a 300 degree fire test. This
unusually high test oil is of course moro
ioA SiioW ehuh uoC, - oCthS WV CApCuolNo
TO be used except on railway coaches and
collision or falling lamps. 1t is claimed
that lamp filled with this and burning
would not explode or the oil ignate, al
though broken to pieces. 1t shows, how
ever, the possibilities Of Wyoming petro-
leum. Aside from these products, there
oil and quality Of vaseline, both Of
which are among the big products of the
refining process. There are In all, SIX or
seven of these products which 1t is alleged
pay all the cost of refining. 1t would
seem that the new oil field will be first
explored by Omaha capitalists, who, AS
usual, lead the others in enterprise and
push. A company has been organized,
called the Oil Mountain Mining COM
will have well under way inside Of
thirty days. As may be guessed from the
size Of the capital stock. it is the inten.
ton of the company to not only produce
but to refine their production. The oil is
there, 1t is of good quality, and it IS not
violent suppOsition that w Wyoming kero-
sene will be for sale in this market within
six month.
Professor Aughey, territorial geologist
of Wyoming, in his report of 1885. makes
the following remarks which are of In
terest in this connection:
"The gravity OF this oil Is between
thlrty-one and thirty two degrees Baumi.
This was after exposure to the air for an
unknown period which reduces the grav-
ity from 25 to 80 per cent. Report.
1t Is Of an amber or light green color.
A large amount of Illuminating oil can
be obtained from it by distillation. 1t
contains no parafine and its flash and
fire tests are both high but have not been
definitely determined. Though possessing
much kerosene 1t Is also remarkably well
adapted for making lubrcatlng oils, -
1t was observed that in sinking the
we'll already described, "a shaft near Oil
with every foot of descent. At the same
rate Of increase it was calculated that
at 100 feet q fifty barrel we'll would be
produced. The oil here is most certainly
in the trlassic rocks. To reach the oil.
bearing rocks therefore, a depth approx
imating $500 feet would have to be
Woad Be- atansa tSa oil suppy Weppd
probably be ample.
At this place there are no lofty ridges to
condense water and act az source Of Its
supply to force the oil through stratas.
with the energy which obtains elsewhere.
Hence little OF the underground treasures
have gone to waste. The stores acoumu.
lated through ages are yet comparatively
intact"
The articles of incorporation of the
Northwestern Oil company have recently
been placed on record at Cheyenne.
Among the prime movers In that enter
prise--which also has capital stock OF
10000, 600 are Messrs Hughitt, Keep
Smmens and McCulloch of the Chicago
a. Northwestern Railway company al
of the Fremont, Eikhorn IL Missouri
Valley railway, and j. ii. Bowman OF
Douglas 1t is the intention of these
gentlemen TO proceed to develope their
territory rs soon as the line of railway
last named is completed to Casper, which
will be in about sixty days.